Vlatko Markovic’s lightning Melbourne stopover ahead of Sydney visit

Tonci PRUSAC

MELBOURNE - A three member entourage from the Croatian Soccer Federation (HNS), headed by the president Vlatko Markovic, will arrve in Australia early next week, ahead of the FIFA World Congress in Sydney.

Prior to the massive gathering of international football officials in Sydney, to be held next Thursday (May 29), Markovic will make a lightning quick stopover in Melbourne, along with his vice-president, Ivan Brlekovic and Ante Vucemilovic, who is a member of the HNS Executive Board and is the president of the Slavoniaj & Baranja County Soccer Association.

The trio, who will arrive in Melbourne late on Monday night, will be hosted by the Melbourne Knights Soccer Club and will also take the opportunity to meet with officials from the Australian Croatian Soccer Association (AHNS), as well as visit several of the city's Croatian soccer and social clubs.

Markovic will depart for Sydney the following evening (Tuesday), as he is required to attend a seperate UEFA meeting, while Brlekovic and Vucemilovic will join their president in Sydney a day later.

Melbourne Knights president Stan Bilic is looking forward to hosting Markovic and co., hot on the heels of playing host to two other high profile Dinamo Zagreb officials over the past nine months, football operations manager Zoran Mamic and CEO Damir Vrbanovic.   

Ivan Vuletic, the Melbourne based president of the AHNS, is also looking forward to the visit of the HNS delegation to Melbourne.

''Even though they will be extremely busy, we hope to catch up with all three of the men at a brief meeting, whereby we will attempt to bridge the ever decreasing gap between the Homeland and the Croatian emigrant community here in Australia even further,'' said Vuletic, who just last weekend returned to Melbourne following a one week trip to Sweden, where he attended the European Croatian Soccer Tournament in Gothenburg as a guest of the local hosts.